Jefferson, Iowa
9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1993. It stands in Jefferson City. It lies in ZIP code area 50129. The Survey maps it on the Jefferson West quadrangle. 4,182 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,066 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Jefferson
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 9 records
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Depot-Jeffersonlisted 1994
George H. Gallup Houselisted 1985
Greene County Courthouselisted 1978
Jefferson Square Commercial Historic Districtlisted 2011
Lincoln Statuelisted 1993- Lincoln Highway Marker (2)listed 1993
- Lincoln Highway-Buttrick's Creek Abandoned Segmentlisted 1993
- Lincoln Highway-Raccoon River Rural Segmentlisted 1993
- Squirrel Hollow County Park Historic Districtlisted 1991
Population over time
2 figuresJefferson fell from 4,345 to 4,182 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 4,345 | |
| 2020 | 4,182 | -163 (-4%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 9 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1954 USGS Fort Dodge quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Fort Dodge quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Fort Dodge quadrangle1:250000
- 1962 USGS Jefferson quadrangle1:62500
- 1985 USGS Carroll quadrangle1:100000
- 1986 USGS Jefferson West quadrangle1:24000
- 1993 USGS Carroll quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
1 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1 fire within 5 miles of Jefferson in 2006, burning about 2 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 March 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 11 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 11 workings within 5 miles of Jefferson: 9 past producers, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armstrong Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Beazor Pit and Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Farlin-Schlick Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Ferguson Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Finch Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Head Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Mcgregor Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Morden Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Richardson Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
60 of 72 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Jefferson in 72 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 29 thunderstorm wind, 16 hail, 15 heavy rain, 6 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2007 | Flood | Jefferson | $250,000 | no account filed |
| April 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | $150,000 | Emergency Manager relayed damages in Jefferson to several buildings and trees, power lines down, and trees on cars. |
| April 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | $100,000 | Delayed report from a former TV meteorologist of damage to numerous buildings, trees, and power lines. Based on damage, estimated wind speeds of 70 to 80 mph. |
| April 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | $100,000 | Trained spotter reported large campers flipped, power lines snapped, multiple buildings damaged. |
| June 1998 | Flood | Jefferson | $100,000 | no account filed |
| April 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | $50,000 | KCIM Radio in Carroll relayed listener report of roof damage at McAtee Tire. Also reported power outages. Time estimated from radar. |
| September 2004 | Tornado (F1) | Jefferson | $50,000 | Small tornado caused garage, porch, and tree damage from about 310th Street and O Avenue to 290th Street and P avenue showing the most damage. Damage in Rural areas was to trees and power poles. |
| March 2007 | Flood | Jefferson | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Flood | Jefferson | $50,000 | no account filed |
| April 1998 | Flood | Jefferson | $50,000 | no account filed |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | $30,000 | Numerous reports of trees down and power lines down across the county. |
| May 1998 | Hail | Jefferson | $25,000 | Wind gusts to 50 MPH. |
| July 1998 | Flood | Jefferson | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Flash Flood | Jefferson | $20,000 | Water over the road at K Ave and 250th caused by flash flooding. |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | $15,000 | Trees were blown down in Jefferson. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | $10,000 | Law Enforcement reported large trees down in Jefferson. Skid loaders out removing debris. |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | $5,000 | One and one half foot diameter trees down and corn flattened. |
| June 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | $5,000 | no account filed |
| April 1999 | Hail | Jefferson | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | $5,000 | no account filed |
| August 1993 | Hail | Jefferson | $5,000 | no account filed |
| August 1993 | Hail | Jefferson | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Hail | Jefferson | $3,000 | White core with clear ice around the edge. |
| September 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | $3,000 | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | $3,000 | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | $3,000 | no account filed |
| November 2003 | Hail | Jefferson | $3,000 | no account filed |
| February 2000 | Hail | Jefferson | $3,000 | no account filed |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | $3,000 | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Hail | Jefferson | $2,000 | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | $2,000 | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Jefferson | $2,000 | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Jefferson | $2,000 | no account filed |
| April 2008 | Hail | Jefferson | $1,000 | Nickel size hail was reported in Jefferson. |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | $1,000 | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | $1,000 | no account filed |
| April 1999 | Hail | Jefferson | $1,000 | no account filed |
| April 1998 | Hail | Jefferson | $500 | no account filed |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | - | Split tree and many 3 inch diameter limbs down. Delayed report, time estimated via radar. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | - | Damage to gas station canopy with partial collapse of structure. Report from KCCI TV. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | - | Trees down and power out in Jefferson. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | - | Trained spotter reported trees and power lines down. |
| September 2019 | Hail | Jefferson | - | Trained spotter reported quarter sized hail. |
| August 2018 | Heavy Rain | Jefferson | - | Mesonet station recorded heavy rainfall of 3.03 inches over the last 24 hours. |
| May 2017 | Heavy Rain | Jefferson | - | Trained spotter reported heavy rainfall of about 2.00 inches over the last 24 hours. This is a location correction to earlier report. |
| June 2017 | Hail | Jefferson | - | Trained spotter reported dime to quarter sized hail. |
| April 2016 | Heavy Rain | Jefferson | - | Trained spotter reported heavy rainfall of 2 inches. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jefferson | - | Trained spotter estimated 60 mph wind gusts. No damage noted at the time. |
| June 2015 | Heavy Rain | Jefferson | - | Public reported heavy rainfall of 4.51 inches over approximately the last 24 hours. |
| June 2015 | Heavy Rain | Jefferson | - | Coop observer reported heavy rainfall of 3.85 inches over the last 24 hours. |
| September 2015 | Heavy Rain | Jefferson | - | Public reported heavy rainfall of 2.45 inches at 7am. Actual end time radar estimated. |
| December 2015 | Heavy Rain | Jefferson | - | Trained spotter reported heavy rainfall of 3.25 inches storm total. |
| June 2014 | Heavy Rain | Jefferson | - | Rainfall of 0.62 inches in 45 minutes. |
| October 2014 | Heavy Rain | Jefferson | - | Rainfall from overnight was 1.62 inches. |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winkelmans | 3.7 miles | 10 | |
| Farlin | 5.7 miles | 9 | |
| Gravel Pit | 5.9 miles | 9 | |
| Cooper | 6.8 miles | 10 | |
| Green Brier | 6.8 miles | 10 | |
| Grand Junction | 7.3 miles | 11 | |
| Scranton | 8.9 miles | 8 | |
| Dana | 9.6 miles | 11 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Jefferson | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1769522 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 457919. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.






